Economics and FiNAce BSc (Hons)

Program Overview

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This programme will allow you to combine the study of economics in general with a specialism in fiNAcial markets and corporate fiNAce. It will allow you to gain an understanding of the workings of modern economies and the fiNAcial markets that lie at their heart. You will study how firms, individuals and governments make decisions that shape society at large. You will also learn how the fiNAcial markets, which moderate these decisions, function. In doing so, you will develop skills that will be of great value for your future life and career, including those related to modelling, data and analytical thinking.

Economics provides us with different ways of thinking about the world and how it functions. It helps us to understand how individuals, businesses and governments do behave; and gives us insights into how they should behave. At one extreme, economics informs the decisions that governments make about some of the most pressing issues of our day, including climate change and inequality. It informs how businesses make decisions about everything from pricing and advertising to investments in product development and corporate strategy. At the other extreme, it can help us as individuals to make better decisions about our own lives; including how hard we should work and how much we should save for our retirements.

The study of fiNAce consists of two main branches – fiNAcial markets and corporate fiNAce. Corporate fiNAce focuses on the fiNAce function within firms. It is concerned with the raising of capital to fund the creation, development and expansion of businesses. It considers how firms decide which projects or acquisitions to invest in; how to organise the firm’s capital structure in order to fund those investments; and how and when to return capital to investors. FiNAcial markets play a crucial role intermediating between investors who have excess funds and individuals, firms or governments who have a need for those funds. Money markets, bond markets, equity markets and derivatives markets involve different forms of intermediation, based on a variety of fiNAcial instruments which distribute risks and returns differently between lenders and borrowers.

At Bangor Business School, we have a team of highly qualified and experienced academics with interests in a wide variety of topics in economics and fiNAce; including behavioural fiNAce, corporate fiNAce, regulation, quantitative economics and public fiNAce. Our team is engaged in world class research in economics and fiNAce, and regularly works with policymakers in government, regulators and think-tanks as well as practitioners in the fiNAcial sector. They are dedicated to bringing their insights from the worlds of policy, practice and research to help you to develop your knowledge and understanding of economics and fiNAce.

Why choose Bangor University for this course?

2nd in the UK and Top in Wales for overall student satisfaction within the subject area of Economics (NSS 2021).

You will be taught by research active staff, with expertise in a wide variety of topics in economic and fiNAce.

You will learn from staff who are engaged with policymakers in government, regulators, as well as practitioners in the fiNAcial sector.

You can combine your study of economics and fiNAce with optional modules from within the Business School (such as sustainability, banking or accountancy) or elsewhere in the University (such as language study).

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Additional Course Options

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Placement Year

This course is available with a Placement Year option where you will study for 1 additional year. The Placement Year is undertaken at the end of the second year and students are away for the whole of the academic year.

The Placement Year provides you with a fantastic opportunity to broaden your horizons and develop valuable skills and contacts through working with a self-sourced organisation relevant to your degree subject. The minimum period in placement (at one or more locations) is seven calendar months; more usually you would spend 10-12 months with a placement provider. You would normally start sometime in the period June to September of your second year and finish between June and September the following year. Placements can be UK-based or overseas and you will work with staff to plan and finalise the placement arrangements.

You will be expected to find and arrange a suitable placement to complement your degree and will be fully supported throughout by a dedicated member of staff at your academic School and the University’s Skills and Employability Services.

You will have the opportunity to fully consider this option when you have started your course at Bangor and can make an application for a transfer onto this pathway at the appropriate time. Read more about the work experience opportunities that may be available to you or, if you have any questions, please get in touch.

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International Experience Year

This course is available with an International Experience Year option where you will study or work abroad for 1 additional year.  You will have ‘with International Experience’ added to your degree title on graduating.

Studying abroad is a great opportunity to see a different way of life, learn about new cultures and broaden your horizons. With international experience of this kind, you’ll really improve your career prospects. There are a wide variety of destinations and partner universities to choose from. If you plan to study in a country where English is not spoken natively, there may be language courses available for you at Bangor and in your host university to improve your language skills.

You will have the opportunity to fully consider this option at any time during your degree at Bangor and make your application. If you have any questions in the meantime, please get in touch.

Read more about the International Experience Year programme and see the studying or working abroad options on the Student Exchanges section of our website.

Program Outline

From the first day of your degree course, you will begin to learn the skills to develop as an economist and fiNAcial practitioner. You will have access to excellent facilities, resources, and extensive information technology to support your learning journey.

Teaching is delivered through a combination of lectures, workshops and seminars. You can expect to have a minimum of 12 hours contact time during each teaching week. You will also be expected to undertake independent study and group work, and participate in online activities and discussions using our virtual learning environment.

In your first year, you will learn the fundamental principles of economic theory as well as developing an understanding of the history of economic development across the globe. You will acquire an understanding of fiNAcial techniques and fiNAcial instruments, and start to build up your analytical and quantitative skills.

During your second year, you will build a deeper understanding of microeconomics – how individuals and firms interact with each other in markets – and macroeconomics – the behaviour of the economy as a whole.  You will deepen your knowledge of fiNAcial markets, and the decisions that investment and portfolio managers are faced with. At the same time, you will progress your understanding of the fiNAce function within firms. You will have the option to develop your quantitative skills to be able to analyse the relationship between different economic variables within formal models; to study more specialised areas of economics or fiNAce; or to choose optional modules from subject areas elsewhere in the University.

In your third year, you will develop your knowledge, skills and expertise to a more advanced level. You will follow a module in fiNAcial economics which will draw together your expertise in both economics and fiNAce to appreciate how the tools used widely by fiNAcial practitioners and founded on economic theory. You will also develop further your understanding and skills in corporate fiNAce. You will have a wide range of optional modules to choose from in both economics and fiNAce that will focus on the application of the theory that you learnt in previous years to exploring contemporary issues in economics and fiNAce. These will include topics such as strategic competition, global economic development, fiNAcial technology and behavioural fiNAce. As in the second year, you will have the option of choosing some modules from subject areas elsewhere in the University including, for example, modern languages or social policy. However, if you prefer to focus on economics and fiNAce, then there will be options for you to study more specialised topics such as public economics, international trade, market risk analytics or corporate goverNAce.

What will you study on this course?

In Year 1, students will take 80 credits from the following topics,

Business Analytics, Economics

and

FiNAcial Techniques and Analysis

. There are also optional modules available in topics such as

Digital Marketing Essentials, Foundations of Marketing, Introduction to Contemporary Management Issues in Ethics, Sustainability, HRM, and Tourism, Marketing in Practice, Introduction to the employee life-cycle, Management and Enterprise, Personal FiNAce and Banking, Principles of FiNAcial Accounting, Principles of Management Accounting, Principles of Management and Organisation

and

Technology in Marketing.

Students can also choose optional modules from other Business School level 4 modules or from elsewhere in the University, subject to timetabling constraints.

In Year 2, students will take 80 credits from the following topics,

Corporate FiNAce, Investment and Portfolio Management, Macroeconomics

and

Microeconomics

. There are also optional modules available in topics such as

Banks and FiNAcial Markets, Econometrics

and

The Economics of Tourism.

Students can also choose optional modules from other Business School level 5 modules or from elsewhere in the University, subject to timetabling constraints and pre-requisites.

In Year 3, students will take 120 credits from the following such as

Advanced Econometrics, Applied Economics, Corporate GoverNAce, FinTech in banking, fiNAce, investment, insurance and regulation, Market Risk Analytics

and

Understanding the Global Economy

. Students can also choose optional modules from other Business School level 6 modules or from elsewhere in the University, subject to timetabling constraints and pre-requisites.

Please note course content is for guidance purposes only and may be subject to change.